Magoosh

qualify

(adj) to be legally competent or capable; (noun) to make less severe; to limit (a statement)

iconoclast

Attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions

trenchant

adjective: characterized by or full of force and vigor; having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect Jill presented a rather superficial treatment of sales in Asia, but her trenchant analysis of sales in Europe inspired a number of insights into how to proceed in that market.

demonstrative

adjective: given to or marked by the open expression of emotion When Sally told James that she wanted to break up with him, she expected he would react demonstratively, but he quietly nodded his head and left without saying a word.

exorbitant

adjective: greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation Shelley made one exorbitant purchase after another, buying new clothes and taking vacations even though she earned a limited salary.

halcyon

adjective: idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; marked by peace and prosperity The first decade after WWI was a halcyon period in America with new-found wealth and rapidly improving technology.

ineluctable

adjective: impossible to avoid or evade: For those who smoke cigarettes for years, a major health crisis brought on by smoking is ineluctable.

infelicitous

adjective: inappropriate During the executive meeting, the marketing director continued to make infelicitous comments about the CEO's gambling habit.

officious

adjective: intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner The professor had trouble concentrating on her new theorem, because her officious secretary would barge in frequently reminding her of some trivial detail involving departmental paperwork.

ebullient

adjective: joyously unrestrained Can you blame him for his ebullient mood? He just graduated from medical school.

impertinent

being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold

acrimony

bitterness and ill will

simulacrum

noun: a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture) The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center showcases a simulacrum of all the present and approved buildings in the city of Shanghai. noun: a bad imitation The early days of computer graphics made real people into a simalacrum that now seems comical.

modicum

noun: a small or moderate or token amount If my sister had even a modicum of sense, she wouldn't be engaged to that barbarian.

evanescent

adjective: tending to vanish like vapor The storm flashed into existence above us and lasted only a short time—an evanescent turbulence of wind and cloud.

bastardization

noun: an act that debases or corrupts The movie World War Z is a complete bastardization of the book with little more in common than zombies and a title.

row

noun: an angry dispute The Prime Minister looked very foolish after his row with the foreign dignitary was caught on video and posted on youtube.

cataclysm

noun: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune The introduction of smallpox was a cataclysm for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.

surfeit

noun: an excessive amount of something There was no such thing as a surfeit of shopping for Nancy--she could stay at the outlet stores from opening to closing time.

oblique

adjective: not straightforward; indirect Herbert never explicitly revealed anything negative about Tom's past, but at times he would obliquely suggest that Tom was not as innocent as he seemed.

lachrymose

adjective: showing sorrow Lachrymose and depressed, Alexei Alexandrovich walked two miles home in the rain after learning that his wife was having an affair.

abrogate

verb: revoke formally As part of the agreement between the labor union and the company, the workers abrogated their right to strike for four years in exchange for better health insurance.

pillory

verb: ridicule or expose to public scorn After the candidate confessed, the press of the opposing party took the opportunity to pillory him, printing editorials with the most blatantly exaggerated accusations.

palaver

verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly During the rain delay, many who had come to see the game palavered, probably hoping that idle chatter would make the time go by faster.

dissipate

verb: squander or spend money frivolously The recent graduates dissipated their earnings on trips to Las Vegas and cruises in Mexico. verb: to disperse or scatter Kathleen's perfume was overwhelming in the cramped apartment, but once we stepped outside the smell dissipated and we could breathe once again.

promulgate

verb: state or announce The President wanted to promulgate the success of the treaty negotiations, but he had to wait until Congress formally approved the agreement.

hoodwink

verb: to deceive or trick someone Someone tried to hoodwink Marty with an email telling him that his uncle had just passed away, and to collect the inheritance he should send his credit card information.

adjudicate

verb: to serve as a judge in a competition; to arrive at a judgment or conclusion Only those with the most refined palates were able to adjudicate during the barbeque competition.

graft

noun: corruption, usually through bribery In countries with rampant graft, getting a driver's license can require no more than paying an official.

chauvinism

noun: fanatical patriotism; belief that one's group/cause is superior to all other groups/causes Vegetarians argue that man is chauvinistic in his belief that animals do not consciously feel the pain we humans do.

panacea

noun: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; a universal solution While the company credit card has made most large purchases easier, it is no panacea: some smaller basic transactions still must be conducted in cash.

raillery

noun: light teasing The new recruit was not bothered by the raillery, finding most of it light-hearted and good-natured.

verisimilitude

noun: the appearance of truth All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their verisimilitude of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.

eponym

noun: the name derived from a person (real or imaginary); the person for whom something is named Alexandria, Egypt is an eponym because it is named after Alexander the Great.

exiguity

noun: the quality of being meager After two months at sea, the exiguity of the ship's supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food.

diminutive

noun: to indicate smallness He prefers to be called a diminutive of his name: "Bill" instead of "John William." adjective: very small When he put on his father's suit and shoes, his appearance was that of a diminutive youth.

capitulate

noun: to surrender (usually under agreed conditions) Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically capitulated when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.

amorphous

shapeless

venality

the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption

extant

the opposite of extinct

maintain

to assert

vindicate

to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof

galvanize

to excite or inspire (someone) to action

chastise

to reprimand harshly

betray

to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally

intimate

to suggest something subtly

veracious

truthful

misattribute

verb: To erroneously attribute; to falsely ascribe; used especially of authorship. I made a mistake; I misattributed "Crime and Punishment" to Leo Tolstoy when it was actually written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

countermand

verb: a contrary command cancelling or reversing a previous command By the time the colonel countermanded his soldiers not to land in enemy territory, a few helicopters had already touched down amid heavy gunfire.

enamor

verb: attraction or feeling of love She is completely enamored with Justin Bieber, and goes to all his concerts on the East coast.

dissemble

verb: conceal one's true motives, usually through deceit To get close to the senator, the assassin dissembled his intentions, convincing many people that he was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.

extrapolate

verb: draw from specific cases for more general cases By extrapolating from the data on the past three months, we can predict a 5% increase in traffic to our website.

flag

verb: droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness; become less intense After the three crushing defeats in the last three games, the team's enthusiasm began to flag.

profligate

Completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful

belie

Contradict or misrepresent

castigate

Criticize severely; punish in order to correct

frugal

Economical, thrifty, not wasteful with money; inexpensive

egregious

Extraordinary or conspicuously bad; glaring

upbraid

Find fault with, criticize or scold severely

ingenuous

Genuine, sincere, not holding back; naive

commensurate

The same in size, extent, etc. equivalent; proportional

innocuous

Harmless, inoffensive

restive

Impatient or uneasy under the control of another; resisting being controlled

harangue

Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly

calumny

Malicious lie intended to hurt someone's reputation; the act of telling such lies

ambiguous

Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations

mercurial

Quickly and unpredictably changing moods; fickle, flighty

venerate

Revere, regard with deep respect and awe

demur

Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons

gregarious

Sociable, pertaining to a flock or crowd

prevaricate

Stray from the truth, mislead, lie

censure

Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun), to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb)

disinterested

Unbiased, impartial; not interested

ambivalent

Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once

laconic

Using few words, concise

prodigal

Wasteful, extravagant; giving abundantly, lavish

undermine

Weaken, cause to collapse by diffing away at the foundation (of a building or an argument); injure or attack in a secretive or underhanded way

enervate

Weaken, tire

aberration

a deviation from what is normal or expected

amalgam

a mixture of multiple things

obtain

adjective: be valid, applicable, or true The custom of waiting your turn in line does not obtain in some countries, in which many people try to rush to front of the line at the same time.

concomitant

adjective: describing an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another Concomitant with his desire for nature was a desire for the culture and energy of a big city.

estimable

adjective: deserving of esteem and respect After serving thirty years, in which he selflessly served the community, Judge Harper was one of the more estimable people in town.

sardonic

adjective: disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking A stand-up comedian walks a fine line when making jokes about members of the audience; such fun and joking can quickly become sardonic and cutting.

veritable

adjective: truthfully, without a doubt Frank is a veritable life-saver -- last year, on two different occasions, he revived people using CPR.

bereft

adjective: unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love After 64 years of marriage, William was bereft after the death of his wife. adjective: sorrowful through loss or deprivation "You are not bereft if you haven't played on your Xbox in the past week," his mother said.

loath

adjective: unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom (usually followed by 'to') I was loath to leave the concert before my favorite band finished playing.

splenetic

adjective: very irritable Ever since the car accident, Frank has been unable to walk without a cane, and so he has become splenetic and unpleasant to be around.

involved

complicated, and difficult to comprehend

equivocal

confusing or ambiguous

amenable

easily persuaded

artful

exhibiting artistic skill; clever in a cunning way

parsimonious

extremely frugal; miserly

auspicious

favorable, the opposite of sinister

wanting

lacking

parochial

narrowly restricted in scope or outlook

anomalous

not normal

despot

noun: a cruel and oppressive dictator The Emperor Claudius was regarded as a fair-minded leader; his successor, Nero, was an absolute despot.

canard

noun: a deliberately misleading fabrication The public will always be fooled by the media's canards.

dissolution

noun: a living full of debauchery and indulgence in sensual pleasure Many Roman emporers were known for their dissolution, indulging in unspeakable desires of the flesh.